Eric Bakovic of the always interesting Language Log posted a slideshow today, with seven pics of a ruler he saw in France that set out SMS abbreviations. The graphic below shows you the sort of thing I mean. (Click on it to go to his slideshow.)

gadget – Used as an indefinite or general name for: a comparatively small fitting, contrivance, or piece of mechanism / An accessory or adjunct; a knick-knack or gewgaw

[Origin obscure. Not found in print before 1886.]

But now found online at Boing Boing Gadgets, a recent child of Jackhammer Jill’s venerable Boing Boing. Sporting its own mascot — Jack Hammer? — it brings to our attention the necessary, useless, ornamental, latest, nifty, silly, ingenious…gewgaws and kickshaws and -aws of all kinds.

“Don’t be evil,” is Google’s motto, or one of them at least. But even were that the central pillar supporting the nine-year-old giant, Siva Vaidhyanathan, a Professor at the University of Virginia, would still be worried, worried enough to write a book called The Googlization of Everything: How One Company is Disrupting Culture, Commerce and Community — and Why We Should Worry. Well, to be writing a book called “The G of E etc.”: he’s constructed a blog of that very same name that will document and invite comment on his work as it proceeds. He puts it this . . . [more]

I just wanted to let everyone know about an interesting phenomenon
occurring on WestlaweCarswell over the past couple of days.

In preparing our “Researching an Essay” session for law students,
my colleague Cathy and I noticed yesterday that when using
the ICLL interface, there is some trouble with the Table of Subject Headings.

This has been making the Internet rounds: Microsoft may be investing $300-$500 million in Facebook. In exchange for the money, it would receive up to a five percent stake in the popular social networking site.

Also, according to the LinkedIn blog, LinkedIn members will soon be able to add a photo to their profile. . . . [more]